Separate from the government, outside the police, beyond the United Nations, Torchwood sets its own rules. Led by the enigmatic Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood is made up of brilliant, passionate individuals, each bringing something unique to the team...

Torchwood: Original Television contains a selection of Ben Foster and Murray Gold's music for the first two series of the TV show.

Over the course of this album's 32 tracks there are plenty of beautifully emotionally charged tracks - heavy on the piano and the wind section of the orchestra. It's a personal thing, but that's a style that really gets to me - I'm a huge James Horner and John Barry fan and they're at their best when they lean towards the piano and wind instruments.

My personal favourites tracks on this album include:

'Into the Hub' - if only because I remember hearing this music when watching the show and it sent a shiver down my spine.

'Gray's Theme' - this reminded me of a cross between Bob & Barn's soundtrack to the Primal console game and Mark Ayres wonderful score for Innocent Sleep.

'Out of Time' - a simply beautiful track that crams so much emotion into such a small space.

'Owen Fights Death' - I loved the way this speeds up as it progresses. A really catchy melody that ricochets around the instead of your head long after it's finished.

'Goodbyes' - again, another track that sounds reminiscent of Ayers's score for Innocent Sleep.

To be honest though, there's such a good mix of styles that this CD will feature at least a handful of tracks for everyone's tastes.

It's a shame that there weren't more detailed sleeve notes, as it would have been handy to know which tracks were designed for which episodes - or at least which came from Series 1 and which from Series 2. Also, while the sleeve notes mention that Gold is responsible for the main theme and four of the episodes, we are never told which ones - a breakdown of which composer wrote which track would have been useful too.

At the end of the day this soundtrack is excellent value for money. Whether you're a Torchwood fan, or a fan of soundtracks in general, you'll find a lot to love in this collection.

9

Darren Rea